Portable transom for outboard motors



Oct. 15, 1963 w. s. FOWLER 3,107,074

PORTABLE TRANSOM FOR OUTBOARD MOTORS Filed May 2. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet l INV EN TOR h a/f'er 5. fbw/er ATTORNEY Oct. 15, 1963 w. s. FOWLER 3,107,074

PORTABLE TRANSOM FOR OUTBOARD MOTORS Fil d may 2, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 29 36 35 &

INVENTOR 3 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in mounts for outboard motors, and an object of the invention is to provide an attachment for a boat which attachment is separate from the boat and readily attachable to the rear transom thereof, and which is provided with a transverse member or supplemental transom to which an outboard motor can be detachably secured, said attachment being provided with jack means for raising or lowering the transverse member to facilitate raising and lowering of the outboard motor relative to the boat whereby to clear submerged obstructions; to permit bringing of the boat close to a shore; and to enable the propeller of the motor to operate with maximum efficiency at a selected depth.

More specifically, the invention concerns itself with what may be referred to as an auxiliary supplemental portable transom unit for outboard motors, the same being capable of quick and convenient attachment to the usual transom of a boat and detachment therefrom with equal expediency, thus permitting the portable transom to be used interchangeably on different boats, including those which are rented for relatively short periods of time.

The portable transom unit in accordance with the invention broadly comprises a supporting frame equipped with clamp means for quickly, easily and removably securing the same to the fixed transom of a conventional boat, a fluid operator in the form of a hydraulic jack mounted on the frame and carrying a transverse supporting member for detachably supporting an outboard motor which supporting member is spaced horizontally a substantial distance to the rear of the boat transom and itself serves as an auxiliary transom member, to which any conventional outboard motor having the usual supporting hooks and/ or clamps may be readily secured, which transom or supporting member may be raised or lowered relative to the supporting frame of the unit as desired by manual operation of controls for actuating the jack, such controls being readily accessible and manipulable by a pe son at the stern of the boat to which the portable transom unit is applied.

Some of the advantages of the invention reside in its simple but durable construction, its efficient and dependable operation, in its adaptability for use with conventional boats of different sizes and types, and in its adaptability to economical manufacture.

By spacin the motor supporting transom member of the auxiliary transom unit substantially to the rear of the boat transom, as in the present invention, it will be apparent that a more adequate supply of water is permitted to reach the outboard motor propeller than is the case where the outboard motor is attached directly to the boat transom as is now customary, and by having the auxiliary transom member together with the raising and lowering jack formed as an independent unit to which any standard outboard motor may be attached, rather than as a permanent part of the outboard nr tor unit, the market for the present invention is greatly increased as the auxiliary transom may be sold as a unit separate from either the boat or the outboard motor. This auxiliary transom unit lends itself to secure a relatively permanent attachment to the transom of a rental boat without injury to or marring of the boat transom, and it may remain attached until such time as the need for the boat is at an end, at which time the transom unit lilfi ifi'l Fatmated @ct. 15*, 1953 may be readily removed and preserved for other and later use. On the other hand, the outboard motor unit itself may be readily attached to or detached from the auxiliary transom unit whenever it is desired to do so. By means of the jack with which the auxiliary transom unit is accompanied, it is possible to adjust the height of any conventional motor, the preferred height being dependent on the type and size of the boat on which the outboard motor is employed, and such motor, although located substmitially to the rear of the boat transom, may still be readily adjusted upwardly and downwardly dependent on underwater conditions, the lifting jack having a handle readily accessible to an operator within the boat.

With the foregoing objects and features in view and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention will be understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like parts, and wherein:

PEGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the portable or auxiliary transom unit in accordance with the invention, also s rowing by dotted lines its relationship to the transom of a boat to which it may be attached and to an outboard motor detachably mountable on the auxiliary transom;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the portable transom unit per se;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 33 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional detail, taken substantially the plane of the line 44 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional detail, taken substantia ly in the plane of the line 55 in FIGURE 2;

HGJRE 6 is a rear elevational view, partly broken av a taken in the direction of the arrow 6 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional detail, taken substantially in the plane of the line 77 in FIG- URE 2;

FEGURE 8 is a fragmentary side elevational view, similar to that shown in FEGURE 1 but illustrating one of th tie rods which may be used in the invention; and

tail, the portable or supplemental transom unit in accordance with-the invention is designated generally by the reference numeral and is adapted to be detachably connected tothe usual fixed transom 11 of a conventional boat 12 for detachably supporting an outboard motor 13 in such a manner that the motor may be raised and lowered relative to the boat, as desired.

The portable transom unit it) embodies in its construction a supporting frame designated generally by the numeral 1 5, the frame including a horizontal rearwardly extending base portion 3.5, an intermediate or upright portion 16 at the front of the base portion, and an inverted hook-shaped front portion 17 at the'top of the intermediate portion for attachment to the boat transom It as will be clearly apparent. The frame 14 is prefer- 9 screws 22 whereby the entire frame 14 may be detachably secured to the boat transom with the frame portions 35 and 16 disposed aft of the boat, as illustrated. An internally screw-threaded tube 23 is secured by depending brackets 24 to the underside of the frame portion and accommodates an adjustable screw-threaded shaft 25 which is equipped with a pad 25 to abut the boat transom 11, whereby to prevent the frame portion 15 from sagging. If desired, two of the tubes 23 and pad-equipped shafts 25 may be provided in transversely spaced relation under the frame portion 15, although only one has been shown, disposed centrally of the frame portion.

A fluid operator in the form of a hydraulic jack 27 is mounted on the frame portion or base 15 near the rear thereof and includes a vertically extensible jack member or piston rod 23 which has secured to the upper end thereof a transveresly elongated motor supporting supplemental transom member or beam 29. The latter may be of a hollow, box-shaped construction and is adapted to have the outboard motor 13 detachably mounted thereon in the same manner as the motor is ordinarily mounted on the boat transom if, the transverse beam or transom member 29 being spaced substantially to the rear of the boat transom ii.

The base receptacle 3% of the jack 27 is equipped with a pair of transversely spaced, upstanding posts 31, and a pair of adjustable struts 32 are connected at one end thereof to these posts and are secured at their other end to the frame portion 16, whereby to rigidify the mounting of the jack 27 on the frame portion 15. The jack base 3 3 is also provided with a fluid passageway leading into the interior of said jack and having a reciprocal plunger 33 disposed therein, which plunger, when reciprocated, causes the piston rod 23 of the jack to be projected upwardly, thus raising the supplemental transom member or beam 29 and the motor 13 suspended therefrom relative to the frame 14 and boat 12. The plunger 33 is operatively connected by an adjustable link 34 to a bell crank 35 which is pivotally mounted as at 36 between a pair of brackets 37 secured to the frame portion 16, the crank 35 also serving as a socket in which is secured one end of a vertically oscillatory handle or lever 38. The latter extends over the frame portion 17 and projects forwardly beyond the latter so that it may be conveniently manipulated by a person at the stern of the boat 12 to effect actuation of the jack 27 and raising of the motor 13.

The base 39 of the jack also contains a conventional by-pass valve (not shown) with a rotatable actuator which, when turned to one position, permits the jack piston 28 to be retracted by gravity and, when turned to another position, permits the jack piston to be projected by actuation of the plunger 33. Remote control means for this by-pass valve are provided, the same consisting of a cable 39, rotatably positioned in a tubular conduit 40 and connected at one end thereof to the rotatable actuator of the by-pass valve. The other end of the conduit 4% is connected to a bearing 41 which is clamped to the frame portion 3.7 by a suitable clamp or bracket 42 as shown in FIGURE 5. The cable 3? extends through the bearing 1 and is provided with a manually operable knob or finger-piece 43 which is conveniently accessible from the stern portion of the boat. Thus, by simply turning the finger-piece 43, the operator may actuate the by-pass valve of the jack to selectively facilitate raising and lowering of the motor 13, the lowering being effected by gravity while the raising is effected by actuation of the handle 33, as aforesaid, both the handle 38 and the finger-piece 43 being readily accessible to the operator of the outboard motor seated in the rear of the boat.

A rear face plate 44 is secured to the auxiliary transom member or beam 29 and extends downwardly therefrom. Moreover, a pair of upright straps 2-5 extend downwardly from the opposite ends of the beam 29 and have intermediate pOItions thereof connected by angle brackets 46 to the plate 44. A transversely ext nding bail 47 has its ends journalled in the lower end portions of the straps 45 and is provided with a U-shaped intermediate portion 47a which rests on the rear edge of the frame portion 15 and is bowed as indicated at 47b to supportably engage the drive shaft casing 13a of the motor 13.

Additional reinforcing means may be provided in the form of a pair of tie rods or straps 4-8 which, as shown in FIGURES 8 and 9, are pivoted at one end thereof as at 4-9 to the clamps 21 while their other ends are provided with loops 54} to slidably accommodate the aforementioned straps 45, suficient play being afforded in the loops 5% for the straps 45 to permit the raising and lowering of the motor by the jack 27.

A transversely extending handle or hand grip 51 is secured to the clamps 21 above the frame portion 17 to facilitate convenient carrying of the auxiliary transom unit, it being noted that the handle 51 is spaced above the handle 33 sufficiently to permit oscillation of the latter.

Operation in o eration, the portable or supplemental transom unit it including the motor jack 27 and transverse motor support transom member 29 carried at the top of the jack plunger 28, and operating means therefor, are detachably secured to the fixed boat transom 11 by means of hooks l7 and clamps 21 in the same manner that an ordinary outboard motor unit is generally secured to the boat transom, with the upright portion 16 of the frame 14- held in suitably adjusted space-d position with reference to the rear of the transom 11 by means of the adjustable thrust members 23.

When it is desired to mount an outboard motor 13 on the boat 12, this is readily accomplished by merely hanging the customary hook portions on the auxiliary transversely extending transom member 29 as illustrated in FIG. 1 with the intermediate portion 47b of the swinging bail 47 engaging the drive shaft casing 13a of the motor 13.

Since the motor including its propeller is mounted well to the rear of the boat, the propeller will not be affected by the proximity of the boat as is ordinarily the case, and such propeller is, therefore, enabled to function more smoothly than when the motor is mounted directly on the boat transom in the customary manner. Since the pump jack handle 33 and the jack releasing or lowering member 43 are so mounted as to extend into the rear of the boat, both of these elements are readily accessible to the motor operator, who may adjust the level of the motor 13 as readily as he can steer the boat by use of the usual steering handle with which the conventional outboard motor unit is equipped. Thus it is possible for the operator to raise and lower the motor at the same time that he steers the boat and thus avoid obstructions such as stones or the like without stopping the motor and without interfering with the steering operation.

While in the foregoing there has been described and shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, various modifications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure and various modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A portable transom for outboard motors, comprising in combination, a supporting frame including a horizontal rear portion, a vertical'intermediate portion provided at the front of said rear portion, and an inverted hook-shaped front portion provided at the top of said in termediate portion, said hook-shaped front portion being adapted for positioning on the transom of a boat with said intermediate and rear portions of the frame disposed aft of the boat transom, clamp means provided on the front frame portion for removably securing the same to the stated boat transom, a hydraulic jack mounted on the rear portion of the frame and including a vertically extensible jack member, a transversely elongated motor supporting member carried by said extensible jack member for raising and lowering movement relative to the frame, said jack also including a reciprocable actuating plunger, bracket means provided on said intermediate frame portion, a handle pivoted to said bracket means for oscillation in a vertical plane, said handle extending above the front frame portion and projecting forwardly beyond the same, a link operatively connecting said handle to said plunger and a pair of transversely spaced straps extending downwardly from the ends of said motor supporting member, and a bail extending transversely between the lower ends of said straps, said bail having a bowed intermediate portion adapted to support-ably engage the drive shaft casing of a motor mounted on said supporting member.

2. A portable transom for outboard motors, comprising in combination, a supporting frame including a horizontal rear portion, a vertical intermediate portion provided at the front of said rear portion, and an inverted hook-shaped front portion provided at the top of said intermediate portion, said hook-shaped front portion being adapted for positioning on the transom of a boat with said intermediate and rear portions of the frame disposed aft of the boat transom, clamp means provided on the front frame portion for removably securing the same to the stated boat transom, a hydraulic jack mounted on the rear portion of the frame and including a vertically extensible jack member, a transversely elongated motor supporting member carried by said extensible jack member for raising and lowering movement relative to the frame, said jack also including a reoiprocable actuating plunger, bracket means provided on said intermediate frame portion, a handle pivoted to said bracket means for oscillation in a vertical plane, said handle extending above the front frame portion and projecting forwardly beyond the same, a link operatively connecting said handle to said plunger and a pair of transversely spaced straps extending downwardly from the ends of said motor supporting member, a bail extending transversely between the lower ends of said straps, said bail having a bowed intermediate portion adapted to supportably engage the drive shaft casing of a motor mounted on said supporting member, and a pair of tie rods connected at one end thereof to said clamp means, said tie rods being provided at their other end with loops slidably receiving said straps.

3. A portable transom unit for outboard motors comprising in combination a frame having a bottom and a side portion, the said side portion being provided at its upper edge with a downturned flange hook shaped for attaching the frame to the rear end of a boat; a horizontally disposed supplemental boat transom; a hydraulic jack mounted on the bottom of said frame near the rear edge thereof and in spaced relationship to the side portion of said frame, the said jack comprising a piston rod to which is attached the said supplemental boat transom and also comprising a base receptacle having a fluid passageway extending therethrough, one end of said passageway leading into said jack and the other end having a plunger operable therein, and a lever attached to said plunger for reciprocating the same.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,638,863 Kiebler May 19, 1953 2,815,731 Curtis Dec. 10, 1957 2,928,630 Wisman Mar. 15, 1960 2,971,501 Wright Feb. 14, 1961 

1. A PORTABLE TRANSOM FOR OUTBOARD MOTORS, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A SUPPORTING FRAME INCLUDING A HORIZONTAL REAR PORTION, A VERTICAL INTERMEDIATE PORTION PROVIDED AT THE FRONT OF SAID REAR PORTION, AND AN INVERTED HOOK-SHAPED FRONT PORTION PROVIDED AT THE TOP OF SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION, SAID HOOK-SHAPED FRONT PORTION BEING ADAPTED FOR POSITIONING ON THE TRANSOM OF A BOAT WITH SAID INTERMEDIATE AND REAR PORTIONS OF THE FRAME DISPOSED AFT OF THE BOAT TRANSOM, CLAMP MEANS PROVIDED ON THE FRONT FRAME PORTION FOR REMOVABLE SECURING THE SAME TO THE STATE BOAT TRANSOM, A HYDRAULIC JACK MOUNTED ON THE REAR PORTION OF THE FRAME AND INCLUDING A VERTICALLY EXTENSIBLE JACK MEMBER, A TRANSVERSELY ELONGATED MOTOR SUPPORTING MEMBER CARRIED BY SAID EXTENSIBLE JACK MEMBER FOR RAISING AND LOWERING MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE FRAME, SAID JACK ALSO INCLUDING A RECIPROCABLE ACTUATING PLUNGER, BRACKET MEANS PROVIDED ON SAID INTERMEDIATE FRAME PORTION, A HANDLE PIVOTED TO SAID BRACKET MEANS FOR OSCILLATION IN A VERTICAL PLANE, SAID HANDLE EXTENDING ABOVE THE FRONT FRAME PORTION AND PROJECTING FORWARDLY BEYOND THE SAME, A LINK OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID HANDLE TO SAID PLUNGER AND A PAIR OF TRANSVERSELY SPACED STRAPS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE ENDS OF SAID MOTOR SUPPORTING MEMBER, AND A BAIL EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY BETWEEN THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID STRAPS, SAID BAIL HAVING A BOWED INTERMEDIATE PORTION ADAPTED TO SUPPORTABLE ENGAGE THE DRIVE SHAFT CASING OF A MOTOR MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORTING MEMBER. 